Electrically-heated shoe-iron.



E. N. CHANDLER.

ELECTRICALLY HEATED SHOE IRON.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 7. 1914.

1,228,180. y Patented May 29, 1917.

EDWIN N. CHANDLER, OF BBAINTBEE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BOSTON LAST COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, CORIOBATION OF MAINE.'

' ELEcrn/IcALLY-HEATED Vsuon-IRON.

To all whom zt may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWIN N. CHANDLER, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Braintree, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electrically-Heated Shoe-Irons, of

v smooth 'and iron out-the boot or shoe upper around the varying contour, concavities, crevlces, and the hke, which are present 1n the outer surface of a shoe. It :has heretofore been particularly diflicult to reach the hollow of the shank or arch of the shoe, and also the crease between the shoe upper and the projectingr edge of the welt or sole, and my present invention is intended to provide fitted on a follower, it then being desirable to smooth out and iron the upper to remove rapidly cooling during use so that a unl-x a tool whichA will be capable of efective work on those parts of a shoe, as well as on the rest /of the surface. Such an iron is of great value to lasters, in smoothing out the wrinkles in a shoe vamp or upper after it is pulled over and lasted. It is also of use in the manufacture of turned shoes, after the shoe has been turned and is being wrinkles and fit the leather to the contour of the new last on which it has been positioned. A further important object is the provision of electrical heating -means which enables the entire iron to be evenly. heated, and

maintained at just the right degree of heat for' the best work, not affording too great heat to injure the leather and not permitting the iron to get cold during use This feature yis of special importance 'as heretofore such shoe irons have slmply been thrust into a steam or gas heater and Withdrawn therefrom when needed for use, the iron being apt to be overheated and necessaril form action was impossible. l In addition to the novel form of heating iron, I have provided a construction permit- Specicationcf lLetters Patent. I

Application led ctoberv 7, 1914. Serial No. 865,471. i

Patented May 29,

muy

operate to hold the heating unit' in the iron and to conduct the wires supplying electrical current out of the way of the operator. The l present invention also is specially applicable, both in the form of tool and the handle construction, to provide an improved v electrically heated seam-rubbing machine.

Referring-to the drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention.

. Figure 1 is a side view of the ironing tool, showing its application to the welt crease of afshoe; d

Fig. 2 is a view showing the application to the shank of a shoe; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig.- 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 4 4 pf Fig. 1, showing the form, in cross section, f the tool.

view on the line As shown in the drawings, thel ironing tool comprises a metallic working portion 1 and a handle 2, the latter being usually formed ofl wood, and being preferably .formed hollow. The too`l portion 1 is of substantially' triangular .form in cross section, having a fiat base 3 which is of special f' value forironing out-and smoothing wrinkles in some parts of the shoe, and also to provide a straight smooth bearing for the tool when the operator runs it along the welt crease of the shoe: This operation is illustrated' in Fig. 1, a shoe sole 4: and shoe upper 5 fbeing illustrated in Idotted lineswith the smoothing iron applied to the welt crease.I The other sides ofr the 'tool-4 are partly straightA and are united by curved section 6, which enables the tool to -be readily manipulated from one point to another about the shoe, and also to get in the creases around the instep portion. The ridge of thecurved part '6 is formed substantially parallel with the flat base 3, for a considerable distance, and then tapers at I 7 until it unites with the straight base 3,

this particular construction facilitating the operation of the lironing tool lnthe shank of the shoe, as illustrated in Fig. 2. It .Tias

heretofore been extremely diiiicult to synoo-' 11 `out the wrinkles in the shank under the 'of the iron for this work is of special importance. This exterior contour of my improved iron is of novel form and being of particular utility I wish to claim the same broadly. To provide a uniform heat capable of electrical supply, I form the iron hollow with a recess 8 of appropriate diameter and depth to receive an electrical heating unit 9, said unit being preferably removable and united with supply wires 10. To facilitate the application of the heating unit to the iron', I form the handle 2 hollow, as above stated, and adapt the wooden portion 2 of the handle to fit upon a tubular sleeve 11, said sleeve having one end threaded at 12 and engaged with the threads of a nut 13 embedded within the handle. The other end of the tube 11 is split and flattened and formed into side flanges 14 which are substantially in the form shown in Fig. 3, and are perforated to receive bolts 15. The iron 1 is formed with oppositely extending lugs 16, each lng being tapped at 17 to receive the threaded ends of bolts 15, said lugs being positioned to coperate with the flanged ends 14, to be united by the bolts 15 as shown in the drawings. Gaskets or washers 18 are also fitted between the lugs 16 and flanges 14 to `aid in insulating the head of the tool 1 from the handle 2. I may provide washers 19 and 2O of rubber or the like to hold the wires 10 centrally of the sleeve 11 and the handle 2 yieldingly on the sleeve 11, respectively, these Washers also serving as heat insulating devices, in addition to the air space between the heating tool and handle.

It will be noted that the heating unit being removable can be readily detached by removal-of the bolts 15 and a new heating unit applied at any time. Also this enables the ironing tool to be shipped long distances without the heating unit being fitted therein and when desired for use, the handle is detached and the heating unit 9 and wires 10 applied thereto by drawing the wires throughthe handle, the attaclnnent of the bolts 15 serving to hold both the handle and the heating unit in assembled position in the iron, while the supply wires 10 are conducted out of the way 'of the operator.

My invention enabling a uniform degree of heat to be supplied to a hand ironing tool. as well as to a seam rubber, greatly facilitates these operations and enabling them to be performed more quickly and with more satisfactory results than has heretofore been possible. I find that in practical use my electrically heated shoe iron, being light and strong and with the current supply7 wires led from the end of the handle entirely out of the way, may

be manipulated around each and every portion of the shoe, particularly the arch of the shank and the rand and welt creases, smoothing and ironing all wrinkles by the application of heat and pressure, such pressure being applied as the operator may desire by rubbing, hammering, and burnishing, and repeatedly applied to the same part when necessary.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An electrically heated shoe finishing iron, having a substantially flat surface throughout its entire extent from end to end, one end of said iron being pointed and tapering from a rounded contour above said flat surface, said iron being formed with a recess opening at its other end to receive a removable heating unit, and means to hold a handle to said recessed end in such manner that said handle is insulated from the heat of the iron.

2. An electrically heated shoe finishing iron,l having a substantially flat surface throughout its entire extent from end to end, said iron having an end face extending upwardly from said flat surface to a rounded contour above said fiat surface and being inclined to said flat surface at an acute angle such that the tapered end of said iron can readily be inserted in the welt crease of a shoe, said iron being formed with a recess open at its other end to receive a heating unit, a handle adapted to receive and conduct heat supply wires therethrough and means to unite the handle to said iron adjacent Said recess, said uniting means provldmg heat insulation for said handle.

3. An electrically heated shoe finishing,

iron, adapted to fit within the shank and welt crease of a boot or shoe, having a substantially triangular form in cross section with a rounded angle uniting two sides, said iron at one end tapering downwardly to its bottom edge, said iron being formed with a recess to receive a detachable electric heating unit, a handle having tubular conducting means therein for the supply wires for said heating unit with one end of said tube secured to said handle, and the other end having flanges secured to the heating iron, and heat insulating means between the iron and handle.

4. An electrically heated hammering and burnishing tool comprising a body having af cylindrical socket 'which is open at one end of the body, the opposite end being closed, a portion of said socket wall having a rounded external face capable of use astively to said at face and intersecting the name to this specijication, in the presence atter o folm an acllt anlgled bU-lhaled of two subscribing witnesses.

urnis 'n e geexten gaong ot si es of the bolgiy and across its outer end, and EDWIN N' CHANDLER' 5Y an electrical heating unit removably in- Wtn:

serted in said socket. James R. HODDER,

In testimony whereof, I have signed my R. G. 

